1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to aluminum-based alloy thin films which have superior corrosion resistance and heat resistance together with high levels of hardness, strength and wear resistance.
The present invention further relates to a process for producing such aluminum-based alloy thin films.
2. Description of the Prior Art
There have been heretofore known thin films of pure aluminum and aluminum-based alloys, such as Al-Mg alloy, Al-Mn alloy, etc. and the aluminum or aluminum-based alloy thin films have been used extensively in a variety of applications, for example, as electronics materials, packaging materials, ornamental materials, etc., depending on their properties. The thin films have been produced by using various thin film formation techniques, such as rolling, laminating, vacuum deposition, sputtering, etc.
Such conventional aluminum-based alloy thin films generally exhibit low hardness, low thermal resistance and insufficient corrosion resistance.